2002 Monaco Grand Prix
27 May |officialname = LXe Grand Prix de Monaco |circuit = Circuit de Monaco |location = Monte Carlo, Monaco |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 3.370 |laps = 78 |distance = 262.860 |pole = Juan Pablo Montoya |polenation = COL |poleteam = |poletime = 1:16.676 |fastestlap = 1:18.023 |fastestlapdriver = Rubens Barrichello |fastestlapnation = BRA |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 68 |winner = David Coulthard |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Michael Schumacher |secondnation = GER |secondteam = |third = Ralf Schumacher |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2002 Monaco Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LXe Grand Prix de Monaco, was the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on 26 May 2002.'Monaco GP, 2002', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr687.html, (Accessed 16/11/2019) The race, which was the sixtieth staging of the Monaco Grand Prix, would see David Coulthard claim a shock victory for . Indeed, pre-race favourites seemed to be off kilter throughout the weekend, with Championship leader Michael Schumacher only able to claim third in qualifying, two weeks after the fallout from the Austrian Grand Prix. That meant that pole position went the way of Juan Pablo Montoya, with Coulthard taking second alongside the . Having stalled on the start last year when on pole in Monaco, Coulthard was determined to make a perfect start this time, and duly sprinted away to claim the lead as Montoya comparatively crawled off the line. The Scot hence led the Colombian racer into Sainte Devote with Schumacher watching on, as an otherwise clean start saw Jacques Villeneuve have to be dragged to the pitlane having stalled on the grid. The early stages saw Coulthard establish a small lead over Montoya, while Schumacher and his brother Ralf remained within striking distance. However, the narrow Monaco circuit made overtaking increasingly impossible, and so Coulthard's lead was effectively safe unless he made a mistake. Behind, there was drama for Allan McNish as the Scot, running close to the points for , spun himself into the barriers at Sainte Devote, while Takuma Sato removed himself via the barriers at the chicane. Alex Yoong was another barrier bouncer, while Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Räikkönen came very close to contact several times as they fought for fifth. Out front, meanwhile, it was clear that all of the top four were on a one-stop strategy, with the Williams' beginning to struggle as the race wore on. That allowed Coulthard to begin building an increasingly larger lead as the race reached half-distance, and hence prompted Michael Schumacher to make an early stop on lap 44. A quick out-lap from the German ace made many believe that he had to pace to jump Montoya, although that was made academic when the Colombian racer's engine expired on the very same lap. Coulthard, meanwhile, was brought in earlier than planned to cover Schumacher's stop, and duly emerged with a narrow one second lead over the German ace. The fight for victory hence became a duel for the rest of the race, with Coulthard managing to place his McLaren beautifully to prevent Schumacher from lunging past. The same could not be said of their teammates, with Barrichello eventually taking Räikkönen out of the race with a clumsy lunge at the chicane. That put Jarno Trulli into fourth place, with the Italian having to fend off the attentions of Giancarlo Fisichella for the rest of the race. Heinz-Harald Frentzen had been running ahead of them for , although he was forced to make a late stop after a refuelling issue on his planned stop. He would, however, still rejoin ahead of Barrichello, with all four drivers lapped in the closing stages. With that the race was over, with Coulthard keeping Schumacher at bay to claim his first win of the campaign against a clearly quicker Ferrari. Ralf Schumacher had a lonely second half of the race to complete the podium, with Trulli, Fisichella and Frentzen completing the scorers ahead of a recovering Barrichello. Background Regardless of whether the late had been completely necessary in the wider-scope of the Championship, it did have an immediate effect on the table as the F1 field left Austria. Indeed, controversial victor Michael Schumacher would leave Spielberg with double the points of second place Juan Pablo Montoya, moving onto 54 points with his fifth win of the campaign. Behind, Ralf Schumacher had enhanced his grip on third ahead of Rubens Barrichello, with David Coulthard completing the top five. In the Constructors Championship Ferrari's one-two ensured that they scored maximum points in Austria, and hence opened out a healthy sixteen point lead. Indeed, it meant that second placed were more than a race's worth of points behind them, with the Anglo-German alliance set to be the Scuderia's only threat. Behind, had continued to inch away from the midfield in third, while had been left as the only non-scorers as collected their first points. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * 150th Grand Prix appearance for as an engine supplier.'7. Monaco 2002', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2002/monaco.aspx, (Accessed 16/11/2019) * Mika Salo made his 100th Grand Prix start. * Tenth entry for Alex Yoong.'2002 Monaco GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2002&gp=Monaco%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 16/11/2019) * David Coulthard claimed his twelfth career victory. * claimed their 135th win as a constructor. ** 40th victory for a Mercedes engine. * Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed ' final points finish as a constructor. Standings Despite missing out on victory for the first time in five races, Championship leader Michael Schumacher had extended his advantage, leaving Monte Carlo with a 33 point lead. His brother Ralf Schumacher had moved into second, overhauling teammate Juan Pablo Montoya by virtue of his win in Malaysia, while David Coulthard had moved into fourth courtesy of his win in Monaco. Behind, Rubens Barrichello had slipped down to fifth, while Jarno Trulli became the season's fifteenth different scorer. In the Constructors Championship had managed to add to their tally, their advantage over their nearest rivals at eighteen points. had remained, unsurprisingly, as the Scuderia's most significant threat, leaving Monte Carlo on 54 points, while had solidified their grip on a distant third place, 30 behind their compatriots. , meanwhile, had inched away from , with remaining the only pointless constructor in the field. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2002 Grands Prix Category:Monaco Grand Prix